The renin-angiotensin aldosterone system (RAAS) is associated with diverse physiological responses and adaptations to exercise. The angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 has vasodilatory effects, which might be associated with the blood pressure (BP) responses to acute exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of ACE2 polymorphisms in postexercise hypotension (PEH). Thirty-four medicated hypertensive (61·3 ± 1·7 years, 76·1 ± 2·7 kg, 160 ± 1·6 cm) men (n = 12) and women (n = 22), participated in a control and a moderate intensity exercise session in a randomized order...

BACKGROUND: The association between skipping breakfast and cardio-metabolic syndrome is well known. However, there are very few Korean studies about the habit of eating breakfast and hypertension. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between the habit of eating breakfast and hypertension in a healthy Korean population. METHODS: Participants in the 2014 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES) were enrolled for this study...

PURPOSE: Pulmonary hypertension and exercise-induced oxygen desaturation (EID) influence acute exacerbation of COPD. Computed tomography (CT)-detected pulmonary artery (PA) enlargement is independently associated with acute COPD exacerbations. Associations between PA to aorta (PA:A) ratio and EID in patients with COPD have not been reported. We hypothesized that the PA:A ratio correlated with EID and that results of the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) would be useful for predicting the risk associated with PA:A >1...

BACKGROUND: Patients with congenital heart disease and native or palliated conditions are at risk to develop pulmonary hypertension (PH) in later life. Screening for PH is currently performed by regular echocardiographic follow-up, which appears to be difficult in several congenital conditions. This study evaluated the screening for PH in congenital heart disease by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET). METHODS: We analyzed our database including all patients with congenital heart disease referred for CPET in our institution from June 2001 to September 2013 and identified 683 patients who had an accompanied heart catheterization less than 6 month after CPET...

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung injury characterized by impaired alveologenesis that may persist into adulthood. Rat models of BPD using varying degrees of hyperoxia to produce injury either cause early mortality or spontaneously recover following removal of the inciting stimulus, thus limiting clinical relevance. We sought to refine an established rat model induced by exposure to 60% O2 from birth by following hyperoxia with intermittent hypoxia (IH). Rats exposed from birth to air or 60% O2 until day 14 were recovered in air with or without IH (FiO2 = 0...

BACKGROUND: Exercise is a major nonpharmacological treatment for hypertension, but its underlying mechanisms are still not completely elucidated. Irisin, a polypeptide containing 112 amino acids, which is secreted mainly by skeletal muscle cells during exercise, exerts a protective role in metabolic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and obesity. Because of the close relationship between irisin and metabolic diseases, we hypothesized that irisin may play a role in the regulation of blood pressure...

To test the hypothesis that high fructose (HF) consumption divergently affects exercise capability, as a function of feeding duration, rats were fed a normal (as control) or a normal caloric diet with HF for 3, 6, 10 and 30 days respectively, and run on a treadmill. Results show that running distance and work were significantly increased, associated with greater exercise oxygen consumption in rats fed HF for 3 (HF-3D) and 6 days, but were decreased in rats fed HF for 30 days (HF-30D) compared to their respective control rats...

AIMS: Hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy) is known to increase the risk of many diseases. Factors influencing HHcy in healthy and hypertensive subjects remain under-researched. METHODS: A large population-based study was conducted in 60 communities from Shenzhen, China. Responses to standardized questions on lifestyle factors and blood samples were collected from all participants after a 12-h overnight fast. Multiple linear and multivariate logistic regressions were used to explore risk factors for HHcy...

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disease characterised by a severe impairment of functional status and quality of life (QoL). Use of rehabilitative programmes may help to improve outcomes. The aim of this pre/post test case series was to evaluate the impact of a training program, including sessions of aerobic and resistance exercise, inspiratory muscle reinforcement, slow breathing, relaxation, and psychological support, on functional outcomes. METHODS: Fifteen patients affected by PAH, in World Health Organization (WHO) Functional Class (FC) II or III and in stable clinical condition, were included in a 4-week cardiorespiratory training programme conducted in outpatient service...

OBJECTIVES: Although the prevalence rates of hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus are slowing in some high-income countries, HTN and diabetes mellitus remain as the two major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. We aimed to observe the association of HTN and diabetes mellitus with all-cause and CVD mortality in older white adults. METHODS: All community-dwelling Rancho Bernardo Study participants who were at least 55 years old and had carefully measured blood pressure and plasma glucose from 75-g oral glucose tolerance test at the baseline visit (1984-1987, n = 2186) were followed up until death or the last clinic visit in 2013 (median 14...

Examine the impact of programs led by community health workers on health and function in older adults with arthritis and other health conditions. We conducted a cluster-randomized trial of the Arthritis Foundation Exercise Program (AFEP) enhanced with the "10 Keys"™ to Healthy Aging compared with the AFEP program at 54 sites in 462 participants (mean age 73 years, 88 % women, 80 % white). Trained Community health workers delivered the 10-week programs. Outcomes assessed after 6 months included physical performance [Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)], Western Ontario and McMaster Universities (WOMAC) Osteoarthritis Index, and preventive health behaviors...

Stent implantation using a Cheatham Platinum (CP) stent for coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a promising treatment alternative to traditional surgical repair. However, there are no earlier reports in the literature focusing on use of this stent in a Taiwanese patient. Herein we report a 16-year-old boy with CoA presenting with heart murmur and exercise intolerance who underwent successful CP stent placement. However, severe hypertension with arterial blood pressure increasing to 207/104 mmHg occurred four hours after stent implantation...

OBJECTIVES: We sought to determine the safety of regadenoson stress testing in patients with PH. BACKGROUND: PH is increasingly recognized at more advanced ages. As many as one-third of patients with PH have coronary artery disease. Because of their physical limitations, patients with PH are unable to adequately exercise. Regadenoson can potentially have an adverse impact due to their tenuous hemodynamics. Current guidelines suggest performing a coronary angiography in patients with PH who have angina or multiple coronary risk factors...

The renin-angiotensin-system is an important component of cardiovascular control and is up-regulated under various conditions, including hypertension and menopause. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of swimming training and estrogen therapy (ET) on angiotensin-II (ANG II)-induced vasoconstriction and angiotensin-(1-7) [ANG-(1-7)]-induced vasorelaxation in aortic rings from ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats. Animals were divided into Sham (SH), Ovariectomized (OVX), Ovariectomized treated with E2 (OE2), Ovariectomized plus swimming (OSW) and Ovariectomized treated with E2 plus swimming (OE2+SW) groups...

Twin studies show that about half the risk of hypertension development is inherited. Mendelian hypertension has elucidated astounding basic pathways contributing to hypertension over (presumably) dietary salt intake or directly through increased peripheral vascular resistance. The Mendelian mutations exercise large effects on blood pressure. Inversely, studying the entire human genome for sources signaling blood pressure has yielded many signals with small effects. Thus far, few loci have been validated or translated into targets...

Among patients with sleep apnea the reported prevalence of precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) has varied largely, depending on patient selection, disease definition, and associated conditions, in particular chronic pulmonary disease. However, in the absence of comorbidities, PH seems to be rare in patients with sleep apnea. Conversely, sleep-related breathing disorders have been commonly found in patients with PH and they have been associated with an impaired quality of life. Since sleep-related breathing disorders may affect the pulmonary circulation and vice versa, patients with sleep-related breathing disorders should be evaluated for risk factors, symptoms and clinical signs of PH and right ventricular heart failure and patients with PH should be evaluated for sleep apnea...

Exercise training (ExT) has been reported to benefit hypertension; however, the exact mechanisms involved are unclear. We hypothesized that ExT attenuates hypertension, in part, through the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and glutamate in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) renovascular hypertensive rats were assigned to sedentary (Sed) or treadmill running groups for eight weeks. Dizocilpine (MK801), a glutamate receptor blocker, or losartan (Los), an angiotensin II type1 receptor (AT1-R) blocker, were microinjected into the PVN at the end of the experiment...

AIMS: Impaired left ventricular (LV) deformation despite preserved LV ejection fraction (LVEF) is common and predicts outcomes in heart failure with preserved LVEF. We hypothesized that impaired LV deformation at rest is a marker of impaired cardiac systolic and diastolic reserve, and aimed to determine whether resting longitudinal (LS) and circumferential strain (CS) are associated with invasively measured haemodynamic response to exercise in patients with dyspnoea and a normal LVEF...